1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plates and more particularly pertains to a new food serving system for simultaneously holding a food article and a beverage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of plates is known in the prior art. More specifically, plates heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,803,305; 5,060,820; 5,557,461; 5,253,609; 5,069,166; and Des. 339,030.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new food serving system. The inventive device includes a tray assembly including a container that has an interior for carrying a beverage and a plate for carrying a food article. The plate is releasably coupled to the container. The plate includes a bottom wall that has a hole extending through the plate. In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom wall of the plate is removably inserted in the interior of the container for preventing the beverage in the interior of the container from escaping. The hole in the plate is in communication with the interior of the container. An end of a conduit is removably inserted in the hole in the plate for transporting the beverage in the interior of the container through the hole in the plate.
In these respects, the food serving system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of simultaneously holding a food article and a beverage.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of plates now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new food serving system construction wherein the same can be utilized for simultaneously holding a food article and a beverage.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new food serving system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the plates mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new food serving system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art plates, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a tray assembly including a container that has an interior for carrying a beverage and a plate for carrying a food article. The plate is releasably coupled to the container. The plate includes a bottom wall that has a hole extending through the plate. In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom wall of the plate is removably inserted in the interior of the container for preventing the beverage in the interior of the container from escaping. The hole in the plate is in communication with the interior of the container. An end of a conduit is removably inserted in the hole in the plate for transporting the beverage in the interior of the container through the hole in the plate.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new food serving system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the plates mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new food serving system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art plates, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new food serving system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new food serving system which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such food serving system economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system for simultaneously holding a food article and a beverage.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system which includes a tray assembly including a container that has an interior for carrying a beverage and a plate for carrying a food article. The plate is releasably coupled to the container. The plate includes a bottom wall that has a hole extending through the plate. In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom wall of the plate is removably inserted in the interior of the container for preventing the beverage in the interior of the container from escaping. The hole in the plate is in communication with the interior of the container. An end of a conduit is removably inserted in the hole in the plate for transporting the beverage in the interior of the container through the hole in the plate.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system that combines a plate with a container allowing the user to eat with both hands. The present invention makes eating outdoors more enjoyable by allowing a user move around and mingle without having to worry about juggling a plate and a beverage container. The present invention eliminates the worries of spilling a drink by placing it on an uneven surface while you try to balance your plate on your lap.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new food serving system that reduces injuries caused by an insect such as, for example, bee entering a beverage container that a user is drinking. The present invention utilizes a conduit too small for a bee to enter the container holding the beverage.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.